Adventures in Legal Outsourcing to India and Beyond

March 20, 2013

Legal Outsourcing: "Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

In the following article from the February 27, 2013 edition of The Star of Mysore ("A Mysore Company's Quiet Presence at the Oscars"), the story is told how legal process outsourcing continues to thrive and expand, contrary to headline-grabbing, misleading reports on the alleged "Death of Outsourcing":

While the Academy Awards in Hollywood
last Sunday did not feature gold statuettes for Indians, a legal process
outsourcing company from Mysore had made a quiet presence at the Oscars. SDD
Global Solutions, a legal outsourcing firm based in Kuvempunagar, did the legal
research and drafting necessary for the release of the Oscar Winner for Best
Documentary Feature, "Searching for Sugar Man." Because they helped
solve the film's legal problems, SDD Global and its parent law firm, SmithDehn
LLP, are included in the end-credits. This already multiple-award-winning
movie, distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, was the first film acquired at
last year's prestigious Sundance Film Festival. Ever since, it's been a
favorite of critics and audiences alike. Legendary film critic Roger Ebert
said: "Do NOT miss it. Astonishing." Famous film director Michael
Moore noted that this "stunning, incredible documentary had [festival] audiences
leaping to their feet." As Sony Pictures sums it up: "Searching for
Sugar Man tells the amazing, true story of Rodriguez, the greatest '70s rock
icon who never was."

And that's not all. The legal team in
Mysore also is being praised by the director of yet another film festival
selection, "Muscle Shoals," premiering at Sundance this year.
"Muscle Shoals" Director Greg "Freddy" Camalier says this
about his India legal support team: "One thing that made our film possible
was the amazing legal team at SDD Global Solutions. Independent filmmakers now
have a way to do their work without being burdened, or even stopped altogether,
by impossible legal fees. SDD Global gave us top-tier legal services at a
fraction of the usual cost." In it's press release, Sundance describes the
movie as "the greatest untold American music story," explaining as
follows: "Down in Alabama, Rick Hall founded FAME Studios and gave birth
to the Muscle Shoals sound. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Gregg Allman, Aretha
Franklin, Etta James, Alicia Keys, Bono and others bear witness to [it]."

SDD Global also worked on HBO's
"Manhunt: The Search for Osama Bin Laden," another acclaimed movie premiering
at Sundance.

In all, the Indian company has
amassed screen credits in over 25 Hollywood films and television series,
according to IMDb, the Internet Movie Database. SDD Global's credits range from
huge cinema hits like "Borat," the highest-earning comedy in movie
history, to "Gold Rush," which is currently the most popular show on
U.S. cable television. Over the years, the Mysore team has done legal work for
such heavyweights as Paramount Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Sony Pictures,
and HBO.

These are further examples of how legal
outsourcing to India is not just for documents anymore, and how India's role in
the worldwide entertainment industry extends far beyond Bollywood. Perhaps more
importantly, this story runs counter to a recent
narrative that points to an alleged reduction of outsourcing on the part of
some Western companies. For example, KPMG recently released a report,
provocatively titled "The Death of Outsourcing." Much of that
reporting relates to increasing payscales in countries like India, compared
with salary stagnation in the West. This has occurred especially in the usual
outsourcing-prone areas like IT, manufacturing, and call centers. However, U.S.
media and entertainment lawyer Russell Smith, from SDD Global's parent law
firm, SmithDehn LLP, says this trend for the most part does not apply to
high-end legal outsourcing. "Yes, salaries have gone up in India, and our
India team is paid very well," he says, "but many law firms in the
West are still trying to charge clients 5-10 times what our India team charges.
And the India team is often more responsive, getting the work done not only
with rigorous professional quality, but also overnight, thanks to the time zone
difference." Smith adds: "Real estate costs also continue to be a
strong factor, with Western law firm fees including the costs of expensive
office rentals, which are about 40 times the cost of commercial space in
Mysore, India." For these and many other reasons, Smith continues to be
optimistic about the future of legal outsourcing: "Given that companies
pay over $250 billion per year for legal services in the US and the UK alone,
this continues to be a huge market opportunity."

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